R44 forced to land in Linden field

[AllJeep]

Here are two news links about the R44 that had a bad landing after engine problems. The main rotor chopped the tail boom but the two pilots were not injured.

 

 

http://1010wins.com/topstories/local_story_352171623.html

 

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index...0860.xml&coll=1

[casualrdt]

Here are two news links about the R44 that had a bad landing after engine problems. The main rotor chopped the tail boom but the two pilots were not injured.

http://1010wins.com/topstories/local_story_352171623.html

 

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index...0860.xml&coll=1

 

 

I was at Linden about to takeoff when this happened.... close call!!! Good call on the landing spot by the senior pilot. I attend their school and was about to depart for my cross country when it happened. Strange that the tail was damaged because they didn't seem to go down very fast and the landing was not on hard ground. Conditions were amazing yesterday, light winds, and visibility was not an issue. It was good to see that they didn't get hurt.

[PhotoFlyer]

You don't have to hit hard to chop the tail boom. Too much aft cyclic at low rotor RPM can also chop the tail boom. Or, landing on the rear of the skids (on the heels) can cause the helicopter to buck , the tail rises quickly and strikes the MR, choping the tail.